THE
OF
SULPITIUS SEVERUS.
Translated by Alexander Roberts
From: A Select Library of Nicene and
Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series,
Volume 11
New York, 1894
Other version available: text [81K].
A LETTER OF THE HOLY PRESBYTER SEVERUS TO HIS
SISTER CLAUDIA CONCERNING THE LAST JUDGMENT.
ON reading your letters, my feelings were, in many ways, deeply
moved, and I could not refrain from tears. For I both wept for joy
because I could perceive from the very language of your letters, that
you were living according to the precepts of the Lord God, and out of
my exceeding desire after you, I could not help lamenting that,
without any fault on my part, I was parted from you; and I would have
felt this still more strongly had you not sent me a letter. Should I
not, then, enjoy the company of such a sister? But I call your
salvation to witness, that I have very often wished to come to you,
but have up till now been prevented, through the opposition of him[1] who is accustomed to hinder us. For, in
my eager desire, I was both urgent to satisfy my wishes by seeing you;
and we seemed, if we should meet, likely to accomplish more
effectually the work of the Lord, since by comforting one another we
should live with the heavy load of this world trodden under our feet.
But I do not now fix the day or time of visiting you, because, as
often as I have done so, I have not been able to fulfil my purpose. I
shall wait on the will of the Lord, and hope that, by my supplications
and your prayers, he may bring it about that we reap some advantage
from our perseverance.[2]
BUT because you have desired from me in all my letters which I had
sent to you precepts to nourish your life and faith, it has come to
pass that, through the frequency of my writings to you, I have now
exhausted language of that kind; and I can really write nothing new to
you, so as to avoid what I have written before. And in truth, through
the goodness of God, you do not now need to be exhorted, inasmuch as,
perfecting your faith at the very beginning of your saintly life, you
display a devoted love in Christ. One thing, however, I do press upon
you, that you do not go back on things you have already passed away
from, that you do not long again for things you have already scorned,
and that, having put your hand to the plow, you do not look back[3] again, retracing your steps; for,
undoubtedly, by falling into this fault, your furrow will lose its
straightness, and the cultivator will not receive his own proper
reward. Moreover, he does not secure even a measure of the reward, if
he has, in a measure, failed. For, as we must flee from sin to
righteousness, so he who has entered on the practice of righteousness
must beware lest he lay himself open to sin. For it is written that
"his righteousness shall not profit the righteous on the day on
which he has gone astray."[4] For
this, then, we must take our stand, for this we must labor, that we,
who have escaped from sins, do not lose the prepared rewards. For the
enemy stands ready against us, that he may at once strike the man who
has been stripped of the shield of faith. Our shield, therefore, is
not to be cast aside, lest our side be exposed to attack; and our
sword is not to be put away, lest the enemy then begin to give up all
fear: moreover, we know that if he sees a man fully armed, he will
retreat. Nor are we ignorant that it is a hard and difficult thing
daily to fight against the flesh and the world. But if you reflect
upon eternity, and if you consider the kingdom of heaven, which
undoubtedly the Lord will condescend to bestow upon us although we are
sinners, what suffering, I ask, is sufficiently great, by which we may
merit such things? And besides, our struggle in this world is but for
a short time; for although death do not speedily overtake us, old age
will come. The years flow on, and time glides by; while, as I hope,
the Lord Jesus will speedily call us to himself, as being dear to his
heart.
O HOW happy shall be that departure of ours, when Christ shall receive
us into his own abode after we have been purged[5] from the stains of sin through the
experience[6] of a better life! Martyrs
and prophets will meet with us, apostles will join themselves to us,
angels will be glad, archangels will rejoice, and Satan, being
conquered, will look pale, though still retaining his cruel
countenance, inasmuch as he will lose all[7] advantage from our sins which he had
secured for himself in us. He will see glory granted us through
mercy, and merits honored by means of glory. We shall triumph over
our conquered foe. Where shall now the wise men of the world appear?
Where shall the covetous man, where shall the adulterer, where shall
the irreligious, where shall the drunkard, where shall the
evil-speaker be recognized? What shall these wretched beings say in
their own defense? "We did not know thee, Lord; we did not see
that thou wast in the world: thou didst not send the prophets: thou
didst not give the law to the world: we did not see the patriarchs: we
did not read the lives of the saints. Thy Christ never was upon the
earth: Peter was silent: Paul refused to preach: no Evangelist taught.
There were no martyrs whose example we should follow: no one predicted
thy future judgment: no one commanded us to clothe the poor: no one
enjoined us to restrain lust: no one persuaded us to fight against
covetousness: we fell through ignorance, not knowing what we
did."
AGAINST these, from among the company of the saints, righteous Noah
shall first proclaim, "I, Lord, predicted that a deluge was about
to come on account of the sins of men, and after the deluge I set an
example to the good in my own person; since I did not perish with the
wicked who perished, that they might know both what was the salvation
of the innocent, and what the punishment of sinners." After him,
faithful Abraham will say in opposition to them, "I, Lord, about
the mid-time[8] of the age of the world,
laid the foundation of the faith by which the human race should
believe in thee; I was chosen as the father of the nations, that they
might follow my example; I did not hesitate, Lord, to offer Isaac,
while yet a youth, as a sacrifice to thee, that they might understand
that there is nothing which ought not to be presented to the Lord,
when they perceived that I did not spare even my only son: I left,
Lord, my country, and my family, at thy command, that they also might
have an example teaching them to leave the wickedness of the world and
the age: I, Lord, was the first to recognize thee, though under a
corporeal[9] form, nor did I hesitate to
believe who it was that I beheld, although thou didst appear to me in
a different form from thine own, that these might learn to judge, not
according to the flesh, but according to the spirit." Him the
blessed Moses will support in his pleadings, saying: "I Lord,
delivered the law to all these, at thy command, that those whom a
free[10] faith did not influence, the
spoken law at least might restrain: I said, `Thou shalt not[11] commit adultery,' in order that I
might prevent the licentiousness of fornication: I said, `Thou shalt
love[12] thy neighbor,' that affection
might abound; I said, `Thou shalt worship the Lord alone,'[13] in order that these might not
sacrifice to idols, or allow temples to exist; I commanded that false
witness should not be spoken, that I might shut the lips of these
people against all falsehood. I set forth the things which had been
done and said from the beginning of the world, through the working
within me of the spirit of thy power, that a knowledge of things past
might convey to these people instruction about things to come. I
predicted, O Lord Jesus, thy coming, that it might not be an
unexpected thing to these people, when they were called to acknowledge
him whom I had before announced as about to come."
AFTER him, there will stand up David worthy of his descendant the
Lord, and declare: "I, Lord, proclaimed thee by every means; I
set forth that only thy name was to be worshiped; I said, `Blessed is
the man[14] who fears the Lord'; I said
too, `The saints shall[15] be joyful in
glory'; and I said, `The desire of the wicked[16] shall perish,' that these people might
acknowledge thee and cease to sin. I, when I had become possessed of
royal power, clothed in sackcloth, with dust spread beneath me, and
with the emblems of my greatness laid aside, lay down in my clothes,
that an example might be given to these people of gentleness and
humility. I spared my enemies who desired to slay me, that these
people might approve of my mercifulness, as worthy of being
imitated." After him, Isaiah, who was worthy of the Spirit of
God, will not be silent; but will say: "I, Lord, whilst thou wast
speaking through my mouth, gave this warning,--`Woe to those[17] who join house to house,' that I might
set a limit to covetousness. I bore witness that thine anger came
upon the wicked, that at any rate fear of punishment, if not hope of
reward, might keep back these people from their evil deeds."
AFTER these, and several others who have discharged for us the duties
of instruction, the Son of God himself will speak thus: "I,
certainly, exalted on a lofty seat, holding heaven in my hand, and the
earth in my fist, extended within and without, in the inside of all
things which are produced, and on the outside of all[18] things that move, inconceivable,
infinite in the power[19] of nature,
invisible to sight, inaccessible to touch, in order that I might exist
as the least of you (for the purpose of subduing the hardness of your
heart and for softening your faithlessness by sound doctrines),
condescended to be born in flesh, and, having laid aside the glory of
God, I assumed the form of a servant, so that, sharing with you in
bodily infirmity, I might in turn bring you to a participation in my
glory, through obedience to the precept of salvation. I restored
health to the sick and infirm, hearing to the deaf, sight to the
blind, the power of speech to the dumb, and the use of their feet to
the lame; that I might influence you, by heavenly signs, all the more
easily to believe in me, and in those things which I had announced, I
promised you the kingdom of heaven; I also, in order that you might
have an example of escape from punishment, placed in Paradise the
robber who acknowledged me almost at the moment of his death, that ye
might follow even the faith of him who had been thought worthy of
having his sins forgiven him. And that by my example in your behalf,
ye yourselves also might be able to suffer; I suffered for you, that
no man might hesitate to suffer for himself what God[20] had endured for man. I showed myself
after my resurrection, in order that your faith might not be
overthrown. I admonished the Jews in the person of Peter; I preached
to the Gentiles in the person of Paul; and I do not regret doing so,
for good results followed. The good have understood my work; the
faithful have perfected it; the righteous have completed it; the
merciful have consummated it: there have been a large number of
martyrs, and a large number of saints. Those to whom I thus refer
were undoubtedly in the same body and in the same world as you. Why,
then, do I find no good work in you, ye descendants of vipers? Ye
have shown no repentance for your wicked deeds, even at the very end
of your earthly course. And what does it profit that ye honor me with
your lips, when you deny me by your deeds and works? Where are now
your riches, where your honors, where your powers, and where your
pleasures? I pronounce no new sentence over you: you simply incur the
judgment which I formerly predicted."
THEN will the Evangelist repeat this to the wretched beings, "Go
ye[21] into outer darkness, where shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth." O ye miserable men, whom
these words do not now impress! They shall then see their own
punishment, and the glory of others. Let them use this present world,
provided they do not enjoy that eternity which is prepared for the
saints. Let them abound in riches: let them rest on gold; provided
that there they be found needy and destitute. Let them be wealthy in
this world, provided they be poor in eternity, for it is written
regarding them, "The rich were in[22] want, and suffered hunger." But
the Scripture has added what follows respecting the good,--"but
those who seek the Lord shall not want any good thing."
Therefore, my sister, although those people mock at us, and although
they call us foolish and unhappy, let us all the more joyfully exult
in such reproaches, by which glory is heaped up for us, and punishment
for them. And do not let us laugh at their folly, but rather grieve
over their unhappiness; because there is among them a large number of
our own people, whom if we win over, our glory shall be increased.
But however they may conduct themselves, let them be to us as Gentiles
and publicans; but let us keep ourselves safe and sound. If they
rejoice now over us lamenting, it will be our turn afterwards to
rejoice over their suffering. Farewell, dearest sister, and tenderly
beloved in Christ.
A LETTER OF SULPITIUS SEVERUS TO HIS SISTER CLAUDIA
CONCERNING VIRGINITY.
HOW great blessedness, among heavenly gifts, belongs to holy
virginity, besides the testimonies of the Scriptures, we learn also
from the practice of the Church, by which we are taught that a
peculiar merit belongs to those who have devoted themselves to it by
special consecration. For while the whole multitude of those that
believe receive equal gifts of grace, and all rejoice in the same
blessings of the sacraments, those who are virgins possess something
above the rest, since, out of the holy and unstained company of the
Church, they are chosen by the Holy Spirit, and are presented by the
bishop[23] at the altar of God, as if
being more holy and pure sacrifices, on account of the merits of their
voluntary dedication. This is truly a sacrifice worthy of God,
inasmuch as it is the offering of so precious a being, and none will
please him more than the sacrifice of his own image. For I think that
the Apostle especially referred to a sacrifice of this kind, when he
said, "Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercy of God, that
you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable[24] to God." Virginity, therefore,
possesses both that which others have, and that which others have not;
while it obtains both common and special grace, and rejoices (so to
speak) in its own peculiar privilege of consecration. For
ecclesiastical authority permits us to style virgins also the brides
of Christ; while, after the manner of brides, it veils those whom it
consecrates to the Lord, openly exhibiting those as very especially
about to possess spiritual marriage who have fled away from carnal
fellowship. And those are worthily united, after a spiritual manner,
to God, in accordance with the analogy of marriage, who, from love to
him, have set at nought human alliances. In their case, that saying
of the apostle finds its fullest possible fulfillment, "He who is
joined to the Lord,[25] is one
spirit."
FOR it is a great and a divine thing, almost beyond a corporeal
nature, to lay aside[26] luxury, and to
extinguish, by strength of mind, the flame of concupiscence, kindled
by the torch of youth; to put down by spiritual effort the force of
natural delight; to live in opposition to the practice of the human
race; to despise the comforts of wedlock; to disdain the sweet
enjoyments derived from children; and to regard as nothing, in the
hope of future blessedness, everything that is reckoned among the
advantages of this present life. This is, as I have said, a great and
admirable virtue, and is not undeservedly destined to a vast reward,
in proportion to the greatness of its labor. The Scripture says,
"I will give to the eunuchs, saith the Lord, a place in my house
and within my walls, a place counted better than[27] sons and daughters; I will give them
an eternal name, and it shall not[28]
fail." The Lord again speaks concerning such eunuchs in the
Gospel, saying, "For there are eunuchs who have made themselves
eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake."[29] Great, indeed, is the struggle
connected with chastity, but greater is the reward; the restraint is
temporal, but the reward will be eternal. For the blessed Apostle
John also speaks concerning these, saying that "they follow the
Lamb whithersoever he goeth."[30]
This, I think, is to be understood to the following effect, that there
will be no place in the court of heaven closed against them, but that
all the habitations of the divine mansions will be thrown open before
them.
BUT that the merit of virginity may shine forth more clearly, and that
there may be a better understanding as to how worthy it is of God, let
this be considered, that the Lord God, our Saviour, when, for the
salvation of the human race, he condescended to assume mankind, chose
no other than a virgin's womb, that he might show how virtue of this
kind especially pleased him; and that he might point out the
blessedness of chastity to both sexes, he had a virgin mother, while
he himself was ever to remain in a like condition. He thus furnished
in his own person to men, and in the person of his mother to women, an
example of virginity, by which it might be proved, with respect to
both sexes, that the blessed state of purity possessed the fullness of
divinity,[31] for whatever dwelt in the
Son was also wholly in the mother. But why should I take pains to
make known the excellent and surpassing merit of chastity, and to set
forth the glorious good of virginity, when I am not ignorant that many
have discoursed on this subject, and have proved its blessedness by
most conclusive reasons, and since it can never be a matter of doubt
to any reflecting mind, that a thing has all the more merit, the more
difficult it is of accomplishment? For if any one judges chastity to
be of no moment or only of small consequence, it is certain that he is
either ignorant of the matter, or is not willing to incur the trouble
it implies. Hence it comes to pass that those always derogate from
the importance of chastity, who either do not possess it, or who are
unwillingly compelled to maintain it.
NOW, therefore, since we have set forth, although in few words, both
the difficulty and the merit of purity, great care must be taken lest
a matter which in itself implies great virtue, and is also destined to
a vast reward, should fail to produce its proper fruits. For the more
precious every sort of thing is, the more it is guarded with anxious
solicitude. And since there are many things which fail to secure
their proper excellence, unless they are assisted by the aid of other
things, as is, for instance, the case with honey, which, unless it is
preserved by the protection of wax, and by the cells of the
honeycombs, and is indeed, to state the matter more truly, sustained
by these, loses its deliciousness and cannot exist apart by itself;
and again as it is with wine, which: unless it be kept in vessels of a
pleasant odor, and with the pitch frequently renewed, loses the power
of its natural sweetness; so great care must be taken lest perchance
some things may be necessary also to virginity, without which it can
by no means produce its proper fruits, and thus a matter of so great
difficulty may be of no advantage (while all the time it is believed
to be of advantage), because it is possessed without the other
necessary adjuncts. For unless I am mistaken, chastity is preserved
in its entirety, for the sake of the reward to be obtained in the
kingdom of heaven, which it is perfectly certain no one can obtain who
does[32] not deserve eternal life. But
that eternal life cannot be merited except by the keeping of all the
divine commandments, the Scripture testifies, saying, "If thou
wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."[33] Therefore no one has that life,
except the man who has kept all the precepts of the law, and he who
has not such life cannot be a possessor of the kingdom of heaven, in
which it is not the dead, but the living who shall reign. Therefore
virginity, which hopes for the glory of the kingdom of heaven, will
profit nothing by itself, unless it also possess that to which eternal
life is promised, by means of which the reward of the kingdom of
heaven is possessed. Above all things, therefore, the commandments
which have been enjoined upon us must be kept by those who preserve
chastity in its entireness, and who are hoping for its reward from the
justice of God, lest otherwise the pains taken to maintain a glorious
chastity and continence come to nothing. No one acquainted with the
law does not know that virginity is above[34] the commandment or precept, as the
Apostle says, "Now, as to virgins, I have no precept of the Lord,
but I give my advice."[35] When,
therefore, he simply gives advice about maintaining virginity, and
lays down no precept, he acknowledges that it is above the
commandment. Those, therefore, who preserve virginity, do more than
the commandment requires. But it will then only profit you to have
done more than was commanded, if you also do that which is
commanded. For how can you boast that you have done more, if, in
respect to some point, you do less? Desiring to fulfill the Divine
counsel, see that, above all things, you keep the commandment: wishing
to attain to the reward of virginity, see that you keep fast hold of
what is necessary to merit life, that your chastity may be such as can
receive a recompense. For as the observance of the commandments
ensures life, so, on the other hand, does the violation give rise to
death. And he who through disobedience has been doomed to death
cannot hope for the crown pertaining to virginity; nor, when really
handed over to punishment, can he expect the reward promised to
chastity.
NOW, there are three kinds of virtue, by means of which the possession
of the kingdom of heaven is secured. The first is chastity, the
second, contempt of the world, and the third, righteousness, which, as
when joined together, they very greatly benefit their possessors, so,
when separated, they can hardly be of any advantage, since every one
of them is required, not for its own sake only, but for the sake of
another. First of all, then, chastity is demanded, that contempt of
the world may more easily follow, because the world can be more easily
despised by those who are not held fast in the bonds of matrimony.
Contempt of the world, again, is required, in order that righteousness
may be maintained, which those can with difficulty fully preserve who
are involved in desires after worldly advantages, and in the pursuit
of mundane pleasures. Whosoever, therefore, possesses the first kind
of virtue, chastity, but does not, at the same time, have the second,
which is contempt of the world, possesses the first almost to no
purpose, since he does not have the second, for the sake of which the
first was required. And if any one possesses the first and second,
but is destitute of the third which is righteousness, he labors in
vain, since the former two are principally required for the sake of
the third. For what profits it to possess chastity in order to
contempt of the world, and yet not to have that on account of which
you have the other? Or why should you despise the things of the
world, if you do not observe righteousness, for the sake of which it
is fitting that you should possess chastity, as well as contempt for
the world? For as the first kind of virtue is on account of the
second, and the second on account of the third, so the first and the
second are on account of the third; and if it does not exist, neither
the first nor the second will prove of any advantage.
BUT you perhaps say here, "Teach me, then, what righteousness is,
so that knowing it, I may be able more easily to fully practice
it." Well, I shall briefly explain it to you, as I am able, and
shall use the simplicity of common words, seeing that the subject of
which we treat is such as ought by no means to be obscured by attempts
at eloquent description, but should be opened up by the simplest forms
of expression. For a matter which is necessary to all in common ought
to be set forth in a common sort of speech. Righteousness, then, is
nothing else than not to commit sin; and not to commit sin is just to
keep the precepts of the law. Now, the observance of these precepts
is maintained in a two-fold way--thus, that one do none of those
things which are forbidden, and that he strive to fulfill the things
which are commanded. This is he meaning of the following statement:
"Depart from evil, and do[36]
good." For I do not wish you to think that righteousness
consists simply in not doing evil, since not to do good is also evil,
and a transgression of the law takes place in both, since he who said,
"Depart from evil" said also, "and do good." If
you depart from evil, and do not do good, you are a transgressor of
the law, which is fulfilled, not simply by abhorring all evil deeds,
but also by the performance of good works. For, indeed, you have not
merely received this commandment, that you should not deprive one who
is clothed of his garments, but that you should cover with your own
the man who has been deprived of his; nor that you should not take
away bread of his own from one who has it, but that you should
willingly impart of your bread to him who has none; nor that you
should not simply not drive away a poor man from a shelter of his own,
but that you should receive him when he has been driven out, and has
no shelter, into your own. For the precept which has been given us is
"to weep with them that[37]
weep." But how can we weep with them, if we share in none of
their necessities, and afford no help to them in those matters on
account of which they lament? For God does not call for the fruitless
moisture of our tears; but, because tears are an indication of grief,
he wishes you to feel the distresses of another as if they were your
own. And just as you would wish aid to be given you if you were in
such tribulation, so should you help another in accordance with the
statement, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do
ye even so[38] to them." For to
weep with one that weeps, and at the same time to refuse to help, when
you can, him that weeps, is a proof of mockery, and not of piety. In
short, our Saviour wept with Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus,
and proved the feeling of infinite compassion within him by the
witness of his tears. But works, as the proofs of true affection soon
followed, when Lazarus, for whose sake the tears were shed, was raised
up and restored to his sisters. This was sincerely to weep with those
who wept, when the occasion of the weeping was removed. But he did
it, you will say, as having the power. Well, nothing is demanded of
you which it is impossible for you to perform: he has fulfilled his
entire duty who has done what he could.
BUT (as we had begun to remark) it is not sufficient for a Christian
to keep himself from wickedness, unless he also has fulfilled the
duties implied in good works, as is very distinctly proved by that
statement in which the Lord threatened that those will be doomed to
eternal fire, who, although they have done no evil, have not done all
that is good, declaring "Then will the king say to those who are
on his fight hand: depart from me, ye cursed, into eternal fire, which
my Father has prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry,
and ye gave me not to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no[39] drink," with what follows. He
did not say, "Depart from me, ye cursed, because ye have
committed murder, or adultery, or theft"; for it is not because
they had done evil, but because they had not done good, that they are
condemned, and doomed to the punishments of the eternal Gehenna; nor
because they had committed things which were forbidden, but because
they had not been willing to do those things which had been commanded.
And from this it is to be observed what hope those can have, who, in
addition, do some of those things which are forbidden, when even such
are doomed to eternal fire as have simply not done the things which
are commanded. For I do not wish you to flatter yourself in this
way,--if you have not done certain things, because you have done
certain other things, since it is written, "Whosoever shall keep
the whole law, and yet offend in one point, has become guilty of
all."[40] For Adam sinned once,
and died; and do you think that you can live, when you are often doing
that which killed another person, when he had only done it once? Or do
you imagine that he committed a great crime, and was therefore justly
condemned to a severer punishment? Let us consider, then, what it was
he really did. He ate of the fruit of the tree, contrary to the
commandment. What then? Did God punish man with death for the sake of
the fruit of a tree? No: not on account of the fruit of the tree, but
on account of the contempt of the commandment. The question,
therefore, is not about the nature of the offense, but about the
transgression of the commandment. And the same being who told Adam
not to eat of the fruit of the tree, has commanded you not to speak
evil, not to lie, not to detract, not to listen to a detractor, to
swear not at all, not to covet, not to envy, not to be drunken, not to
be greedy, not to render evil for evil to any one, to love your
enemies, to bless them that curse you, to pray for them that malign
and persecute you, to turn the other cheek to one smiting you, and not
to go to law before a worldly tribunal, so that, if any one seeks to
take away your goods, you should joyfully lose them, to flee from the
charge of avarice, to beware of the sin of all pride and boastfulness,
and live, humble and meek, after the example of Christ, avoiding
fellowship with the wicked so completely that you will not even eat
with fornicators, or covetous persons, or those that speak evil of
others, or the envious, or detractors, or the drunken, or the
rapacious. Now, if you despise him in any such matter, then, if he
spared Adam, he will also spare you. Yea, he might have been spared
with better reason than you, inasmuch as he was still ignorant and
inexperienced, and was restrained by the example of no one who had
previously sinned, and who had died on account of his sin. But after
such examples as you possess, after the law, after the prophets, after
the gospels, and after the apostles, if you still set your mind on
transgressing, I see not in what way pardon can be extended to you.
DO you flatter yourself on account of the attribute of virginity?
Remember Adam and Eve fell when they were virgins, and that the
perfect purity of their bodies did not profit them when they sinned.
The virgin who sins is to be compared to Eve, and not to Mary. We do
not deny that, in the present life, there is the remedy of repentance,
but we remind you rather to hope for reward, than to look for pardon.
For it is disgraceful that those should ask for indulgence who are
expecting the crown of virginity, and that those should commit
anything unlawful who have even cut themselves off from things lawful;
for it must be remembered that it is lawful to contract an alliance by
marriage. And as those are to be praised who, from love to Christ,
and for the glory of the kingdom of heaven, have despised the tie of
wedlock, so those are to be condemned who, through the pleasure of
incontinence, after they have vowed themselves to God, have recourse
to the Apostolic remedy. Therefore, as we have said, those who
decline marriage despise not things unlawful, but things lawful. And
if that class of people swear, if they speak evil of others, if they
are detractors, or if they patiently listen to detractors, if they
return evil for evil, if they incur the charge of covetousness with
respect to other people's property, or of avarice in regard to their
own, if they cherish the poison of revenge or envy, if they either say
or think anything unbefitting against the institutions of the law or
the Apostles, if with a desire of pleasing in the flesh, they exhibit
themselves dressed up and adorned, if they do any other unlawful
things, as is only too common, what will it profit them to have
spurned what is lawful, while they practice what is not lawful? If
you wish it to be of advantage to you, that you have despised things
lawful, take care that you do not any of those things which are not
lawful. For, it is foolish to have dreaded that which is in its
nature less, and not to dread that which is intrinsically more [or not
to avoid those things[41] which are
interdicted, while such things as are permitted meet with contempt].
For the Apostle says, "She that is unmarried careth for the
things of the Lord, how she may please God, that she may be holy both
in body and spirit; but she who is married careth for the things of
this world, how she may please[42] her
husband." He thus affirms that the married woman pleases her
husband by thinking of worldly things, while the unmarried woman
pleases God, inasmuch as she has no anxiety about the things of the
world. Let him tell me, then, whom she desires to please,
who has no husband, and yet cares for the things of the world? Shall
not the married woman, in such a case, be preferred to her? Yes,
since she by caring for the things of the world pleases at least her
husband, but the other neither pleases her husband, since she does not
have one, nor can she please God.[43]
But it is not fitting that we should pass over in silence that which
he said: "The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord,
how she may please God, that she may be holy both in body and
spirit" [she careth, he says, for the things of the Lord; she
does not care for the things of the world, or of men, but for the
things of God]. What, then, are the things of the Lord? Let
the Apostle tell: "Whatsoever[44]
things are holy, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue,
and if there be any praise of doctrine": these are the things of
the Lord, which holy and truly apostolic virgins meditate upon, and
think of, day and night, without any interval of time. Of the Lord is
the resurrection of the dead, of the Lord is immortality, of the Lord
is incorruption, of the Lord is that splendor of the sun which is
promised to the saints, as it is written in the Gospel, "Then
shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father":[45] of the Lord are the
many mansions of the righteous in the heavens, of the Lord is the
fruit which is produced, whether thirty fold, or sixty fold, or an
hundred fold. Those virgins who think on these things, and by what
works they may be able to merit them, think of the things of the Lord.
Of the Lord, too, is the law of the new and old testament, in which
shine forth the holy utterances of his lips; and if any virgins
meditate without intermission on these things, they think of the
things of the Lord. In that case, there is fulfilled in them the
saying of the prophet: "The eternal[46] foundations are upon a solid rock, and
the commands of God are in the heart of the holy woman."
THERE follows the clause "how she may please God,"--God, I
say, not men,--"that she may be holy both in body and
spirit." He does not say that she may be holy only in a member
or in the body, but that she may be holy in body and spirit. For a
member is only one part of the body, but the body is a union of all
the members. When, therefore, he says that she may be holy in the
body, he testifies that she ought to be sanctified in all her members,
because the sanctification of the other members will not avail, if
corruption be found remaining in one. Also, she will not be
holy in body (which consists of all the members), who is defiled by
the pollution of even one of them. But in order that what I say may
be made more obvious and clear, suppose the case of a woman who is
purified by the sanctification of all her other members, and sins only
with her tongue, inasmuch as she either speaks evil[47] of people or bears false testimony,
will all her other members secure the acquittal of one, or will all
the rest be judged on account of the one? If, therefore, the
sanctification of the other members will not avail, even when one only
is at fault, how much more, if all are corrupted by the guilt of
various sins, will the perfection of one be of no avail?
WHEREFORE, I beseech you, O virgin, do not flatter yourself on the
ground of your purity alone, and do not trust in the perfection of one
member; but according to the Apostle, maintain the sanctity of your
body throughout. Cleanse thy head from all defilement, because it is a
disgrace that it, after the sanctifying oil has been applied to it,
should be polluted with the juice or powder of either crocus, or any
other pigment, or should be adorned with gold or gems or any other
earthly ornament, because it already shines with the radiance of
heavenly adornment. It is undoubtedly a grave insult to Divine grace
to prefer to it any mundane and worldly ornament. And next, cleanse
thy forehead, that it may blush at human, and not at Divine works, and
may display that shame which gives rise not to sin, but to the favor
of God, as the sacred Scripture declares, "There is a shame that
causes sin, and there is a shame that brings with it the favor[48] of God." Cleanse, too, thy neck,
that it may not carry thy[49] locks in
a golden net and necklaces hung round it, but may rather bear about it
those ornaments of which the Scripture says, "Let not[50] mercy and faith depart from
thee," and hang them upon thy heart as upon thy neck. Cleanse
thine eyes, whilst thou dost withdraw them from all concupiscence, and
dost never turn them away from the sight of the poor, and dost keep
them from all dyes, in that purity in which they were made by God.
Cleanse thy tongue from falsehood, because "a mouth[51] which tells lies destroys the
soul": cleanse it from detraction, from swearing, and from
perjury. I beg you not to think it is an inverted order that I have
said the tongue should be cleansed from swearing before perjury, for
one will then the more easily escape perjury, if he swears not at all,
so that there may be fulfilled in him that statement, "Keep[52] thy tongue from evil, and thy lips
from speaking guile." And be mindful of the Apostle who says,
"Bless, and[53] curse
not." But often call to mind the following words, "See that
no one render evil for evil to any man, or cursing for cursing, but on
the contrary, do ye bless them, because to this ye have been called,
that ye should possess a blessing[54]
by inheritance"; and this other passage, "If any[55] one offend not in tongue, he is a
perfect man." For it is shameful that those lips, by which you
confess God, pray to him, bless him, and praise him, should be defiled
by the pollution of any sin. I know not with what conscience any one
can pray to God with that tongue with which he either speaks
falsehood, or calumniates, or detracts. God listens to holy lips, and
speedily answers those prayers which an unpolluted tongue pours forth.
Cleanse also thine ears, so that they may not listen except to holy
and true discourse, that they never admit into them obscene, or
infamous, or worldly words, or tolerate any one detracting from
another, on account of that which is written, "Hedge up[56] thine ears with thorns, and do not
listen to a wicked tongue, that you may have your part with him, of
whom it is said, that he was[57]
righteous in hearing and seeing; i.e. he sinned neither with his eyes
nor his ears. Cleanse, too, thy hands, "that they[58] be not stretched out to receive, but
shut against giving," and that they be not prompt to strike, but
ever ready for all the works of mercy and piety. In fine, cleanse thy
feet, that they follow not the broad and ample way which leads to
grand and costly worldly banquets, but that they tread rather the
difficult and narrow path, which guides to heaven, for it is written,
"Make a[59] straight path for your
feet." Acknowledge that your members were formed for you by God
the Maker, not for vices, but for virtues; and, when you have cleansed
the whole of your limbs from every stain of sin, and they have become
sanctified throughout your whole body, then understand that this
purity will profit you, and look forward with all confidence to the
prize of virginity.
I BELIEVE that I have now set forth, briefly indeed, but, at the same
time, fully, what is implied in a woman's purity of body: it remains
that we should learn what it is to be pure also in spirit; i.e. that
what it is unlawful for one to do in act, it is also unlawful for one
even to imagine in thought. For she is holy, alike in body and in
spirit, who sins neither in mind nor heart, knowing that God is one
who examines also the heart; and, therefore, she takes every pains to
possess a mind as well as a body free from sin. Such a person is
aware that it is written, "Keep thy[60] heart with all diligence"; and
again, "God loveth[61] holy
hearts, and all the undefiled are acceptable to him"; and
elsewhere, "Blessed[62] are those
of a pure heart; for they shall see God." I think that this last
statement is made regarding those whom conscience accuses of the guilt
of no sin; concerning whom I think that John also spoke in his Epistle
when he said, "If our heart [63]
condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God, and whatsoever we
ask we shall receive from him." I do not wish you to think that
you have escaped the accusation of sin, although act does not follow
desire, since it is written, "Whosoever[64] looketh on a woman to lust after her,
hath already committed adultery with her in his heart." And do
not say, "I had the thought, indeed, but I did not carry it out
in act"; for it is unlawful even to desire that which it is
unlawful to do. Wherefore also blessed Peter issues a precept to this
effect: "purify your[65]
souls"; and if he had not been aware of such a thing as
defilement of the soul, he would not have expressed a desire that it
should be purified. But we should also very carefully consider that
passage which says, "These[66] are
they who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained
virgins, and they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth"; and
should reflect whether, if these are joined to the Divine retinue, and
traverse all the regions of the heavens, through the merit of chastity
and purity alone, there may be also other means by which virginity
being assisted may attain to the glory of so great blessedness. But
whence shall we be able to know this? From the following passages (if
I mistake not) in which it is written, "These were[67] purchased from among men as the first
fruits to God and the Lamb, and in their mouth there was found no
falsehood, for they are without spot before the throne of God."
You see, then, that they are spoken of as closely following in the
footsteps of the Lord, not in virtue of one member only, but those are
said to do so, who, besides virginity, had passed a life freed from
all the pollution of sin. Wherefore, let the virgin especially
despise marriage on this account, that, while she is safer than
others, she may the more easily accomplish what is also required from
those who are married; viz. keep herself from all sin, and obey all
the commandments of the law. For if she does not marry, and
nevertheless indulges in those things from which even married women
are enjoined to keep themselves free, what will it profit her not to
have married? For although it is not allowed to any Christian to
commit sin, and it befits all without exception who are purified
through the sanctification of the spiritual bath, to lead an unstained
life, that they may be thoroughly identified[68] with the Church, which is described as
being "without[69] spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing," much more is it requisite that a
virgin should reach this standard, whom neither the existence of a
husband, nor of sons, nor of any other necessity, prevents from fully
carrying out the demands of holy Scripture; nor shall she be able, if
she fail, to defend herself by any sort of excuse.
O VIRGIN, maintain thy purpose which is destined for a great reward.
Eminent with the Lord is the virtue of virginity and purity, if it be
not disfigured by other kinds of lapses into sins and wickedness.
Realize your state, realize your position, realize your purpose. You
are called the bride of Christ; see that you commit no act which is
unworthy of him to whom you profess to be betrothed. He will quickly
write a bill of divorcement, if he perceive in you even one act of
unfaithfulness. Accordingly, whosoever receives those gifts which, as
an earnest, are bestowed in the case of human betrothals, immediately
begins earnestly and diligently to enquire of domestics, intimates,
and friends, what is the character of the young man, what he
especially loves, what he receives, in what style he lives, what
habits he practices, what luxuries he indulges in, and in what
pursuits he finds his chief pleasure and delight. And when she has
learned these things, she so conducts herself, in all respects, that
her service, her cheerfulness, her diligence, and her whole mode of
life, may be in harmony with the character of her betrothed. And do
thou, who hast Christ as thy bridegroom, enquire from the domestics
and intimates of that bridegroom of thine what is his character; yes,
do thou zealously and skillfully enquire in what things he specially
delights, what sort of arrangement he loves in thy dress, and what
kind of adornment he desires. Let his most intimate associate Peter
tell thee, who does not allow personal adorning even to married women,
as he has written in his epistle, "Let wives,[70] in like manner, be subject to their
own husbands, so that, if any believe not the word, they may, without
the word, be won over by the conduct of their wives, contemplating
their chaste behavior in the fear of God; and let theirs not be an
outward adornment of the hair, or the putting on of gold, or elegance
in the apparel which is adopted, but let there be the hidden man of
the heart in the stainlessness[71] of a
peaceful and modest spirit, which is in the sight of God of great
price." Let another apostle also tell thee, the blessed Paul,
who, writing to Timothy, gives his approval to the same things in
regard to the conduct of believing women: "Let wives[72] in like manner adorn themselves with
the ornament of a habit of modesty and sobriety, not with curled hair,
or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but as becomes women that profess
chastity, with good and upright behavior."
BUT perhaps you say, "Why did not the Apostles enjoin these
things on virgins?" Because they did not think that necessary,
lest such an exhortation, if given to them, might rather seem an
insult than a means of edification. Nor, in fact, would they have
believed that virgins could ever proceed to such an extreme of
hardihood, as to claim for themselves carnal and worldly ornaments,
not permitted even to married women. Undoubtedly, the virgin ought to
adorn and array herself; for how can she be able to please her
betrothed, if she does not come forth in a neat and ornamental form?
Let her be adorned by all means, but let her ornaments be of an
internal and spiritual kind, and not of a carnal nature; for God
desires in her a beauty not of the body, but of the soul. Do thou,
therefore, who desirest that thy soul should be loved and dwelt in by
God, array it with all diligence, and adorn it with spiritual
garments. Let nothing unbecoming, nothing repulsive, be seen in it.
Let it shine with the gold of righteousness, and gleam with the gems
of holiness, and glitter with the most precious pearl of purity;
instead of fine linen and silk, let it be arrayed in the robe of
mercifulness and piety, according to what is written, "Put ye[73] on, therefore, as the elect of God,
holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humility," and so
forth. And let the virgin not ask for the beauty due to ceruse,[74] or any other pigment, but let her have
the brightness of innocence and simplicity, the rosy hue of modesty,
and the purple glow of honorable shamefacedness. Let her be washed
with the nitre of heavenly doctrine, and purified by all spiritual
lavements.[75] Let no stain of malice
or sin be left in her. And lest, at any time, she should give forth
the evil odor of sin, let her be imbued, through and through, with the
most pleasant ointment of wisdom and knowledge.
GOD seeks for adornment of this kind, and desires a soul arrayed in
such a manner. Remember that you are called the daughter of God,
according to what he says, "Hearken,[76] O daughter, and consider." But
you yourself also, as often as you call God your Father, bear witness
that you are the daughter of God. Wherefore, if you are the daughter
of God, take care that you do none of those things which are unworthy
of God, your Father; but do all things as being the daughter of God.
Reflect how the daughters of nobles in this world conduct themselves,
to what habits they are accustomed and by what exercises they train
themselves. In some of them, there is so great modesty, so great
dignity, so great self-restraint, that they excel the habits of other
human beings in regard to human nobleness, and, lest they should
attach any mark of disgrace on their honorable parents by their
failure, they strive to acquire another[77] nature for themselves by the mode of
their acting in the world. And do you, therefore, have regard to your
origin, consider your descent, attend to the glory of your nobility.
Acknowledge that you are not merely the daughter of man, but of God,
and adorned with the nobility of a divine birth. So present yourself
to the world that your heavenly birth be seen in you, and your divine
nobleness shine clearly forth. Let there be in you a new dignity, an
admirable virtue, a notable modesty, a marvelous patience, a gait
becoming a virgin with a bearing of true shamefacedness, speech always
modest, and such as is uttered only at the proper time, so that
whosoever beholds you may admiringly exclaim: "What is this
exhibition of new dignity among men? What is this striking modesty,
what this well-balanced excellence, what this ripeness of wisdom?
This is not the outcome of human training or of mere human discipline.
Something heavenly sheds its fragrance on me in that earthly body. I
really believe that God does reside in some human beings." And
when he comes to know that you are a handmaid of Christ, he will be
seized with the greater amazement, and will reflect how marvelous must
be the Master, when his handmaid manifests such excellence.
IF you wish, then, to be with Christ, you must live according to the
example of Christ, who was so far removed from all evil and
wickedness, that he did not render a recompense even to his enemies,
but rather even prayed for them. For I do not wish you to reckon
those souls Christian, who (I do not say) hate either their brothers
or sisters, but who do not, before God as a witness, love their
neighbors with their whole heart and conscience, since it is a bounden
duty for Christians, after the example of Christ himself, even to love
their enemies. If you desire to possess fellowship with the saints,
cleanse your heart from the thought of malice and sin. Let no one
circumvent you; let no one delude you by beguiling speech. The court
of heaven will admit none except the holy, and righteous, and simple,
and innocent, and pure. Evil has no place in the presence of God. It
is necessary that he who desires to reign with Christ should be free
from all wickedness and guile. Nothing is so offensive, and nothing
so detestable to God, as to hate any one, to wish to harm any one;
while nothing is so acceptable to him as to love all men. The prophet
knowing this bears witness to it when he teaches, "Ye who[78] love the Lord, hate evil."
TAKE heed that ye love not human glory in any respect, lest your
portion also be reckoned among those to whom it was said, "How[79] can ye believe, who seek glory, one
from another?" and of whom it is said through the prophet,
"Increase[80] evils to them;
increase evils to the boastful of the earth"; and elsewhere,
"Ye are confounded[81] from your
boasting, from your reproaching in the sight of the Lord." For I
do not wish you to have regard to those, who are virgins of the world,
and not of Christ; who unmindful of their purpose and profession,
rejoice in delicacies, are delighted with riches, and boast of their
descent from a merely carnal nobility; who, if they assuredly believed
themselves to be the daughters of God, would never, after their divine
ancestry, admire mere human nobility, nor glory in any honored earthly
father: if they felt that they had God as their Father, they would not
love any nobility connected with the flesh. Why, thou foolish woman,
dost thou flatter thyself about the nobleness of thy descent, and take
delight in it? God, at the beginning, created two human beings, from
whom the whole multitude of the human race has descended; and thus it
is not the equity of nature, but the ambition of evil desire, which
has given rise to worldly nobility. Unquestionably, we are all
rendered equal by the grace of the divine[82] bath, and there can be no difference
among those, whom the second birth has generated, by means of which
alike the rich man and the poor man, the free man and the slave, the
nobly born and the lowly born, is rendered a son of God. Thus mere
earthly rank is overshadowed by the brilliance of heavenly glory, and
henceforth is taken no account of, while those who formerly had been
unequal in worldly honors are now equally arrayed in the glory of a
heavenly and divine nobility. There is now among such no place for
lowness of birth; nor is any one inferior to another whom the majesty
of the divine birth adorns; except in the estimation of those who do
not think that the things of heaven are to be preferred to those of
earth. There can be no worldly boasting among them, if they reflect
how vain a thing it is that they should, in smaller matters, prefer
themselves to those whom they know to be equal to themselves in
greater matters, and should regard, as placed below themselves on
earth, those whom they believe to be equal to themselves in what
relates to heaven. But do thou, who art a virgin of Christ, and not
of the world, flee from all the glory of this present life, that thou
mayest attain to the glory which is promised in the world to come.
AVOID words of contention and causes of animosity: flee also from all
occasions of discord and strife. For if, according to the doctrine of
the Apostle "the servant[83] of
the Lord must not strive," how much more does this become the
handmaid of the Lord, whose mind ought to be more gentle, as her sex
is more bashful and retiring. Restrain thy tongue from evil speaking,
and put the bridle of the law upon thy mouth; so that you shall speak,
if you speak at all, only when it would be a sin to be silent. Beware
lest you utter anything which might be justly found fault with. A
word once spoken is like a stone which has been thrown: wherefore it
should be long thought over before it is uttered. Blessed, assuredly,
are the lips, which never utter what they would wish to recall. The
talk of a chaste mind ought itself also to be chaste, such as may
always rather edify than injure the hearers, according to that
commandment of the Apostle when he says, "Let no[84] corrupt communications proceed out of
your mouth, but that which is good for the edification of faith, that
it may convey grace to them that hear." Precious to God is that
tongue which knows not to form words except about divine things, and
holy is that mouth from which heavenly utterances continually flow
forth. Put down by the authority of Scripture calumniators of those
who are absent, as being evil-minded persons, because the prophet
mentions this also as among the virtues of a perfect man, if, in the
presence of the righteous an evil-minded man, who brings forward
things against his neighbor which cannot be proved, is brought down to
nothing. For it is not lawful for you patiently to listen to
evil-speaking against another, inasmuch as you would not wish that to
be done by others when directed against yourself. Certainly,
everything is unrighteous which goes against the Gospel of Christ, and
that is the case, if you quietly permit anything to be done to
another, which you would feel painful, if done by any one to yourself.
Accustom your tongue always to speak about those who are good, and
lend your ears rather to listen to the praises of good men than to the
condemnation of such as are wicked. Take heed that all the good
actions you perform are done for the sake of God, knowing that for
every such deed you will only receive a reward, so far as you have
done it out of regard to his fear and love. Study rather to be holy
than to appear so, because it is of no avail to be reckoned what you
are not; and the guilt of a twofold sin is contracted when you do not
have what you are credited with having, and when you pretend to
possess what you do not possess.
DELIGHT thyself rather in fastings than in feastings, mindful of that
widow who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings
and prayers day and night. Now, if she who was a widow, and a Jewish
widow, proved herself such, what is it fitting that a virgin of Christ
should now attain to? Love more than any other thing the feast of the
divine word, and desire that you be filled with spiritual dainties,
while you seek for such food as refreshes the soul, rather than for
that which only pleases the body. Flee from all kinds of flesh and
wine, as being the sources of heat and provocatives to lust. And only
then, if need be, use a little wine, when the stomach's uneasiness, or
great infirmity of body, requires you to do so. Subdue anger, restrain
enmity, and whatever there may be which gives rise to remorse when it
is done, avoid as an abomination giving rise[85] to immediate sin. It is fitting that
that mind should be very tranquil and quiet, as well as free from all
the tumults of anger, which desires to be the dwelling-place of God,
as he testifies through the prophet, saying, "Upon[86] what other man shall I rest than upon
him who is humble and quiet, and who trembleth at my
words?" Believe that God is a witness of all thy deeds and
thoughts, and take good heed lest you either do or think anything
which is unworthy of the divine eyesight. When you desire to engage
in prayer, show yourself in such a frame of mind as becomes one who is
to speak with the Lord.
WHEN you repeat[87] a psalm, consider
whose words you are repeating and delight yourself more with true
contrition of soul, than with the pleasantness of a trilling voice.
For God sets a higher value on the tears of one thus praising[88] him, than on the beauty of his voice;
as the prophet says, "Serve[89]
the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Now, where
there are fear and trembling, there is no lifting up of the voice, but
humility of mind with lamentation and tears. Display diligence in all
thy doings; for it is written, "Cursed[90] is the man who carelessly performs the
work of the Lord." Let grace grow in you with years; let
righteousness increase with age; and let your faith appear the more
perfect the older you become; for Jesus, who has left us an example
how to live, increased not only in years as respected his body, but in
wisdom and spiritual grace before God and men. Reckon all the time in
which you do not perceive yourself growing better as positively lost.
Maintain to the last that purpose of virginity which you have formed;
for it is the part of virtue not merely to begin, but to finish, as
the Lord says in the Gospel, "Whosoever[91] shall endure to the end, the same
shall be saved." Beware, therefore, lest you furnish to any one
an occasion even of evil desire, because thy God, betrothed to thee,
is jealous; for an adulteress against Christ is more guilty than one
against her husband. Be thou, therefore, a model of life to all; be an
example; and excel in actual conduct those whom you precede in your
consecration[92] to chastity. Show
thyself in all respects a virgin; and let no stain of corruption be
brought as a charge against thy person. And let one whose body is
perfect in its purity be also irreproachable in conduct. Now, as we
said in the beginning of this letter, that you have become a sacrifice
pertaining to God, such a sacrifice as undoubtedly imparts its own
sanctity also to others, that, as every one worthily receives from it,
he himself also may be a partaker of sanctification, so then, let the
other virgins also be sanctified through you, as by means of a divine
offering. Show yourself to them so holy in all things, that,
whosoever comes in contact with thy life, whether by hearing or
seeing, may experience the power of sanctification, and may feel that
such an amount of grace passes to him from your manner of acting,
that, while he desires to imitate thee, he himself becomes worthy of
being a sacrifice devoted to God.
A LETTER OF
SEVERUS TO HOLY PAUL THE BISHOP.
AFTER I learned that all thy cooks had given[93] up thy kitchen (I believe because they
felt indignant at having to fulfill the duty towards cheap dishes of
pulse[94]), I sent a little boy to you
out of our own workshop. He is quite skillful enough to cook pale
beans and to pickle homely beet-root, with vinegar and sauce, as well
as to prepare cheap porridge for the jaws of the hungry monks. He
knows nothing, however, of pepper or of laser,[95] but he is quite at home with cumin,
and is especially clever in plying the noisy mortar with sweetly
smelling plants. He has one fault, that he is no kindly foe to admit
to any garden; for if let in, he will mow down with a sword all things
within his reach, and he will never be satisfied with the slaughter
simply of mallows. However, in furnishing himself with fuel he will
not swindle you. He will burn whatever comes in his way; he will cut
down and not hesitate to lay hands upon buildings, and to carry off
old beams from the household. We present him, then, to you, with this
character and these virtues; and we wish you to regard him not as a
servant, but as a son, because you are not ashamed to be the father of
very small creatures. I myself would have wished to serve you instead
of him; but if good-will may be taken as in some measure standing for
the deed do you only, in return, take care to remember me amid your
breakfasts and delightful dinners because it is more proper to be your
slave, than the master of others. Pray for me.[96]
TO THE SAME, ON HIS WISDOM AND GENTLENESS.
THE faithful exponent of our holy religion so arranges all things that
no place be found in future for transgressors: for what else do you,
for instance, promise us by so great sanctity of character, than that,
all errors being laid aside, we should lead a blessed life? In this
matter, I see that the greatest praise befits thy virtues, because you
have changed even an uninstructed mind by your exhortations, and drawn
it over to an excellent condition. But it would not seem so
wonderful, if you had simply strengthened educated minds by instilling
wisdom into them for intelligent men have a sort of relationship to
devotion, but rustic natures are not easily won over to the side of
severity.[97] Just as those who shape
the forms of animals out of stone, undertake a business of a pretty
difficult kind, when they strike very hard rocks with their chisels,
while those who make their attempts on substances of a softer nature
feel that their hands are aided by the ease of fashioning these
materials, and it is deemed proper that the labor of the workman; when
difficult, should be held in the highest honor, so, Sir, singular
commendation ought so be given to you, because you have made
unpolished and rustic minds, set free from the darkness of sin, both
to think what is human, and to understand what is divine.
No less is Xenocrates, by far the most learned of the philosophers,
held in estimation, who succeeded by severe exhortations in having
luxury conquered. For when a certain Polemo, heavy with wine,
staggered openly out of a nocturnal revel at the time when his hearers
were flocking to the school of Xenocrates, he, too, entered the place,
and impudently took his seat among the crowd of disciples, in that
dress in which he had come forth from the banquet. A chaplet of
flowers covered his head, and yet he did not feel ashamed that he
would seem unlike all the others, because, in truth, indulgence in a
long drinking-bout had upset his brains, which are the seat of reason.
As the rest of those there present began to murmur grievously, because
so unsuitable a hearer had found his way in among a multitude of men
of letters, the master himself was not in the slightest degree
disturbed, but, on the contrary, began to discourse on the science of
morals, and the laws of moderation. And so powerful proved the
influence of the teacher that the mind of that impudent intruder was
persuaded to the love of modesty. First of all, then, Polemo, in
utter confusion, took off the chaplet from his head, and professed
himself a disciple. And in course of time he conformed himself so
thoroughly to the duties implied in dignity, and surrendered himself
so entirely to the exhibition of modesty, that a glorious amendment of
character threw a cloak over the habits of his former life. Now we
admire this very thing in your instructions, that, without the use of
any threats, and without having recourse to terrors of any kind, you
have turned infatuated minds to the worship of God; so that even a
badly ordered intellect should believe it preferable[98] to live well and happily with all,
rather than to hold unrighteous opinions with a few.
TO AN UNKNOWN PERSON, ENTREATING HIM TO DEAL GENTLY
WITH HIS BROTHER.
ALTHOUGH my lord and brother has already begged of your nobleness that
you would see that Tutus should be most[99] safe, yet it has been allowed to me to
commend the same person in a letter, in order that, by the petition
being doubled, he may be held all the safer. For let it be granted
that a youthful fault and error of a yet unsettled age has injured
him, so as to inflict a stain on his early years; still one, who did
not yet know what was due to right conduct, has gone wrong almost
without contracting blame. For when he came to a right state of mind
and to reflection, he understood on better thoughts that a theatrical
life was to be condemned. However, he could not be completely cleared
of his fault, unless he should wash its guilt away by the aid[100] of Deity, since, by the remedy
obtained through the Catholic religion, changing his views, he has
denied himself the enjoyment of a less honorable place, and has
withdrawn himself from the eyes of the people.
OF THE MASTER AS ABOVE.[101]
Since, therefore, both divine and state laws do not permit a faithful
body and sanctified minds to exhibit disgraceful though pleasing
spectacles, and to set forth vulgar means of enjoyment, especially
since an injury seems in some degree to accrue to the chaste
dedication of one's self, in case any one who has been renewed by holy
baptism should fall back upon his old licentiousness, it behooves your
Excellency to show favor to good intentions, so that he who, by the
goodness of God, has entered on a pious duty, should not be forced to
sink into the pitfall of the theatre. He does not, however, refuse
compliance with the judgment of you all, if you enjoin other fitting
actions on his part in behalf of the requirements of our common
country.[102]
TO SALVIUS: A COMPLAINT THAT THE COUNTRY PEOPLE
WERE HARASSED, AND THEIR POSSESSIONS PLUNDERED.
FORENSIC excitement ought to be at full heat during the time of
business in the law-courts; for it is fitting that the arms of
industry, as it struggles daily, should display energetic movements.
But when loud-toned eloquence has sounded a retreat, and has retired
to peaceful groves and pleasant dwelling-places, it is right that one
lay aside idle murmurs, and cease to utter ineffectual threats. For
we know that palm-bearing steeds, when they have retired from the
circus, rest with the utmost quietness in their stables. Neither
constant fear nor doubtful palms of victory distress them, but at
length, haltered to the peaceful cribs, they now no longer stand in
awe of the master urging them on, enjoying sweet oblivion of the
restless rivalry which had prevailed. In like manner, let it delight
the boastful soldier after his term of service is completed, to hang
up his trophies, and patiently to bear the burden of age.
But I do not quite understand why you should take a delight in
terrifying miserable husbandmen; and I do not comprehend why you wish
to harass my rustics with the fear of want of sustenance;[103] as if, indeed, I did not know how to
console them, and to deliver them from fear, and to show them that
there is not so great a reason to fear as you pretend. I confess
that, while we were occupied in the plain, I was often frightened by
the arms of your eloquence, but frequently I returned you
corresponding blows, as far as I was able. I certainly learned along
with you, by what right, and in what order, the husbandmen are
demanded back, to whom a legal process is competent, and to whom the
issue of a process is not competent. You say that the Volusians
wished you brought back, and frequently, in your wrath, you repeat
that you will withdraw the country people from my little keep; and
you, the very man, as I hope and desire, bound to me by the ties of
old relationship, now rashly threaten that, casting our agreement to
the winds, you will lay hold upon my men. I ask of your illustrious
knowledge, whether there is one law for advocates, and another for
private persons, whether one thing is just at Rome, and quite another
thing at Matarum.
In the meantime, I do not know that you were ever lord of the Volusian
property, since Dionysius is said to have preserved the right of
possession to it, and he never wanted heirs; who, while he lived, was
accustomed to hurl the envenomed jibes of his low language upon a
multitude of individuals.[104] There
was, at that time, one Porphyrius, the son of Zibberinus, and yet he
was not properly named the son of Zibberinus. He kept hidden, by
military service, the question as to his birth, and, that he might
dispel the cloud from his forehead, he took part in officious services
and willing acts of submission. He was much with me both at home and
in the forum, having often employed me as his defender with my father,
and as his advocate before the judge. Sometimes I even kept back
Dionysius, feeling that he ought not, for the sake of twenty acres to
discharge vulgar abuse upon Porphyrius.
See, here is the reason why thy remarkable prudence threatened my
agents, so that, though you are not the owner of the place, you
everywhere make mention of my husbandmen. But if you give yourself
out as the successor of Porphyrius, you must know that the narrow
space of twenty acres cannot certainly be managed by one cultivator,
or, if mindful of your proper dignity and determined to maintain it,
you shrink from naming yourself the heir of Porphyrius, it is certain
and obvious that he can commence proceedings,[105] to whom the right of doing so
belongs, so as to go to law with those who have no property in that
land. But if you diligently look into the matter, you will see that
the endeavor to recover it most especially devolves on me. Wherefore,
my much esteemed lord and brother, it behooves you to be at peace, and
to return to friendship with me, while you condescend to come to a
private conference. Cease, I pray you, to disturb inactive and easily
frightened persons, and utter your boastful words at a distance.
Believe me, however, that I am delighted with your high spirit, and by
no means offended; for we are neither of a harsh disposition, nor
destitute of learning. Let Maximinus at least render you gentle.[106]
TO AN UNKNOWN PERSON, BEGGING THE FAVOR OF A
LETTER.
THE faith and piety of souls, no doubt, remain, but this should be
made known by the evidence of a letter, in order that an increase of
affection may be gained by such mutual courtesy. For just as a
fertile field cannot bring forth abundant fruits, if its cultivation
has been neglected, and the good qualities of soil are lost through
the indolence of one who rests, instead of working, so I think that
the love and kindly feelings of the mind grow feeble, unless those who
are absent are visited, as if present, by means of a letter.[107]
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